**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

From SEIU 1021 President Theresa Rutherford:

The alleged sexual abuse of children and young women by Cesar Chavez runs contrary to everything we stand for as a labor union and social justice movement. It is reprehensible and indefensible for anyone to take advantage of their power and position to prey on those who look up to them. 

We stand with Ana Murguia, Debra Rojas, Dolores Huerta, and all the other survivors. We grieve that they felt they had to keep what had happened to them a secret for so long to protect the farmworkers’ movement and the progress it had made. Unfortunately, women have historically been expected by society to tolerate and normalize abuse and to protect their abusers for the “greater good.” This must stop. Women’s rights are human rights.

We will not tolerate this behavior in the labor movement, Congress, the White House, in any workplace, or anywhere in our communities, and demand full accountability for those who commit such acts.

In light of these serious allegations, SEIU Local 1021 will not participate in any Cesar Chavez Day activities this month. We do urge our members, allies, and community to participate in events and activities that honor and uplift the labor movement, including on May 1. We need this movement—and each other—more than ever.

Our movement has never been and never will be about any one person. By its very definition, the labor movement is about building collective power through collective action. While these allegations tarnish Chavez’s name, we will not allow one man’s horrific behavior to define or denigrate the values or legacy of the labor movement. 

Every achievement of unions in protecting workers’ rights and improving working conditions throughout history has been the result of collective action. We will continue to celebrate what we have won collectively through the contributions and sacrifices of labor activists past and present. We will continue to fight systemic racism, misogyny, and the abuse of women wherever they appear.